Georgia CommonsSenate · Failed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SR 875: State-Wide Grand Juries; jurisdiction, powers, and duties; provide -CA
Last action March 6, 2026 · Senate Lost
A Georgia Senate resolution would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to create state-wide grand juries with power to investigate and indict election-related crimes committed anywhere in Georgia.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently, Georgia grand juries are organized county by county, which can complicate investigations into crimes that span multiple jurisdictions. This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment creating state-wide grand juries that could investigate and return indictments for crimes anywhere in the state, but only for crimes involving voting, elections, or violations of Georgia's election laws. Under the proposal, the Attorney General would petition the Supreme Court to summon a state-wide grand jury of 13 to 23 people, serving no more than 12 months. The Chief Justice would designate a superior court judge to preside, and the Attorney General or a designee (including staff or a district attorney) would serve as legal adviser and prosecutor. Grand juries could investigate before any indictment is proposed and could issue subpoenas. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by voters in a statewide referendum before taking effect.
What the bill does
- Creates a new constitutional mechanism for state-wide grand juries that can investigate and indict crimes occurring anywhere in Georgia, not just within one county.
- Limits the subject matter jurisdiction of these state-wide grand juries to crimes involving voting, elections, or violations of Georgia's election laws.
- Requires the Attorney General to petition the Supreme Court to summon and empanel a state-wide grand jury, with the Chief Justice appointing a presiding superior court judge.
- Designates the Attorney General or a designee, including staff members or a district attorney, as legal adviser and prosecutor for these grand juries.
- Allows a state-wide grand jury to investigate and issue subpoenas before any indictment is formally proposed to it.
- Sends the proposed constitutional amendment to Georgia voters for ratification or rejection in a statewide referendum.
Who it affects
Georgia voters, who would decide whether to ratify this constitutional change; the Attorney General's office and district attorneys, who would take on new roles in these proceedings; the Supreme Court and superior court judges, who would oversee empaneling; and anyone accused of election-related crimes in Georgia.
Why it matters
If ratified, election-related criminal investigations could be pursued across county lines by a single grand jury rather than being limited to local jurisdictions, potentially speeding up or centralizing prosecution of alleged voting and election crimes statewide, with the Attorney General playing a more direct prosecutorial role.
Key provisions
- Paragraph I(a) requires the Attorney General to petition the Supreme Court to summon and empanel state-wide grand juries under procedures the General Assembly would later establish by law.
- Paragraph I(b) sets grand jury size at 13 to 23 members and limits each jury's term to no more than 12 months, with jurisdiction extending statewide.
- Paragraph I(c) has the Chief Justice designate a superior court judge to preside over each state-wide grand jury.
- Paragraph I(d) makes the Attorney General or a designee the legal adviser, allowing delegation to staff or a district attorney.
- Paragraph I(e) restricts these grand juries' subject matter to crimes involving voting, elections, or violations of state election laws and related crimes.
- Paragraph I(f) allows investigative activity, including subpoenas for witnesses and documents, before any indictment is formally presented.
- Section 2 sets the ballot language voters would see and specifies the amendment becomes part of the Constitution only if ratified by voters.
From the bill
“The subject matter jurisdiction of state-wide grand juries shall extend to the investigation and indictment of persons or legal entities for any crime involving voting, elections, or a violation of the election laws of this state and all related crimes.”
“A state-wide grand jury shall consist of not fewer than 13 nor more than 23 persons.”
“It shall not be necessary for a proposed bill of indictment to be presented to a state-wide grand jury prior to its engaging in investigative activities.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
Senate Rules Committee, March 5, 2026
From 0:59:28 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described SR 875 as the constitutional amendment accompanying SB 607, the proposal for special grand juries addressing election crimes. The chair agreed to package the measures together if selected. Members later selected the pair, and the committee unanimously included both in the floor-calendar package.
Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 2)
From 1:38:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Taken from Table)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a constitutional amendment allowing statewide grand juries, with the attorney general serving as prosecutor and legal adviser. The sponsor said the proposal was limited to violations involving state or federal elections and related matters, not local elections. The sponsor argued that using a statewide elected prosecutor and jurors from across Georgia would reduce perceptions of politically motivated prosecutions. The sponsor said the chief justice would appoint a superior court judge to oversee proceedings and local district attorneys could assist. One member questioned whether an attorney general elected through a partisan race would be less political than district attorneys. Another questioned trusting the current attorney general with expanded authority. The sponsor rejected allegations of partisan misconduct and argued that statewide accountability was preferable to local political pressure. Asked about similar systems elsewhere, the sponsor cited South Carolina but did not know the total number of states. The Senate removed the resolution from the table, 29-20. The final vote was 28-21, short of the required two-thirds, so the resolution failed.
Status timeline
- Senate Lost (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
- Greg Dolezal (R, SD-27)
- Steve Gooch (R, SD-51)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 6, 2026
29 yea, 20 nay (3 not voting, 3 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 6, 2026
28 yea, 21 nay (1 not voting, 5 excused)
Topics
- election law
- grand juries
- constitutional amendment
- Attorney General powers
- voting crimes